1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for correction of weft in woven textile materials. The weft straightener apparatus employs an automated system which includes a central controller, weft bias detection sensors, and a weft straightener assembly which stretches a textile planar material in a predetermined direction according to the data generated from the weft bias detection sensors.
2. Description of the Background Art
Various conventional weft straightening systems currently exist. These devices use rotating wheels or rollers which employ complex adjusting mechanisms that stretch the woven textile planar material across the rotating rollers. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,611 (Lyzek), a roller device employing a bow roll is used with two idler rollers to substantially eliminate weft distortions.
Other weft straightening systems require an operator to manually pull biased material from the top of a fan folded pile of woven textile planar material, clench the woven textile planar material between his/her two fists and stretch the woven planar textile material in a diagonal direction opposite to the bias. The operator will normally perform this task approximately 10 to 15 times for every two feet of material. Manually removing the bias reduces the number of errors that occur when later processing the stretched woven planar material.
Unfortunately, processes such as bleaching, dyeing, and uneven sewing cause the woven textile planar materials to have as much as 2.5 inches of bias over 12 inches of width when the woven textile planar material reaches an automatic textile machine.
Accordingly, a need in the art exists for an automated weft straightener apparatus which can eliminate or minimize bias in woven textile planar materials and remove the need for manual stretching. Furthermore, a need exists in the art to eliminate or reduce bias in woven textile planar materials by stretching the materials, using an automated system, in an opposite diagonal direction relative to the bias.